Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LISZT!

Original:
Après une lecture du Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata
from Années de pèlerinage, deuxième année – Italie, S.161/7, and previous versions in S.158, by Liszt Ferencz.

Special Thanks:
K.Rekii
youtube.com/c/Rekii%E5%A7%9C%E9%98%BFK%E5%A7%9C%E9%98%BFRekii
Xalinsky
youtube.com/user/zuminlair92cp

This project started from 2022/6/26, with 200+ hours of work.

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Analysis

INTRODUCTION
00:12 Motif 1: Descending tritone passage.
00:20 Ascending diminished chords resolved to A flat major.
00:36 Motif 1 repeated: Descending tritone passage.
00:43 Ascending diminished chords resolved to F sharp major.
01:00 Descending tritone passage changes to fifth and then sixth.
01:11 Changes back to descending tritone with diminished chords.
01:27 Motif 2: D Hungarian minor scale ascending and then descending passage.
01:37 Augury of Theme 1, while the melody and accompany are exchanged.

EXPOSITION
01:52 Theme 1: Lamentoso chromatic passage in D minor.
02:22 Motif 2 as bridge, but this time in D harmonic minor.
02:25 Theme 1 repeated: Lamentoso chromatic passage in D minor.
03:00 Motif 1 as bridge.
03:05 Modified motif 2 as bridge, with chromatically ascending bass line.
03:19 Transition in D diminished seventh chords and chromatically descending passages.
03:31 Transition in staccato passages again with D diminished seventh chords.
03:41 Modified motif 1 in G (and B flat) as a transition, readily descends a whole tone.
03:46 Modified motif 1 in E flat as a transition.
03:50 Descending one more time, modified motif 1 in D flat as a transition to F sharp major.
03:54 Theme 2.a: I-♭VII-I-Vsus4-V chord progression in F sharp major.
04:06 Theme 2.b: Modulation to B flat major with iv-V-I (vi-VII-III in F sharp) chord progression.
04:12 Theme 2.c: Cadence with characteristic V13 chord and voice leading as codetta in B flat.
04:16 Theme 2.b': Modulates to C sharp harmonic major with IV-♯iv°-I chord progression.
04:22 Theme 2.c repeated, but this time in C sharp harmonic major.

DEVELOPMENT
04:26 Introduction is repeated, but resolved to G major and B flat minor respectively.
05:08 Theme 1 in F sharp major with very different color of sweetness and intimate feeling.
06:02 Theme 2 in F sharp major repeated, but with calmer tone.
06:26 In theme 2.b', instead of modulating to C sharp, this time modulating to D major.
06:39 Transition in D Phrygian dominant scale with elements from Theme 1.
06:57 Transition in D with elements of Theme 1 and extra tension built by D diminished chord.
07:14 Bridge in D Phrygian dominant scale.
07:30 Theme 3.a: sweet descending melody with tenderness in F sharp major.
07:46 The passage moves up a whole tone, and then moves again until settles in C.
08:08 Theme 3.b: heavenly F sharp major passage embellished with lots of flat sixth (D natural).
08:37 Quasi cadenza in D.
08:40 Transition in D with tension added by C sharp pedal notes.
08:52 Tension reaches the extrema with C♯7sus4(♭9) and is then released slightly by C♯7(♭9).
08:57 Tension of ♭9 continues and motif 1 enters.
09:04 ♭9 interval was resolved by moving down the root but tritone relation still exists.
09:11 The root is moved down again and diminished chord is formed.
09:14 Motif 2 in diminished chord form enters with motif 1 filled in between.
09:21 This structure is repeated but moves up 1 semitone.
09:28 Fragmented theme 1 enters and keeps ascending.
09:44 Variation of motif 2 as a transition to A flat major.
09:48 Variation of motif 1 in A flat, modulates to B, and finally to D major.
10:12 While melody keeps ascending, bass line descends in whole-tone until back in A flat.
10:24 A short bridge with motif 1 structure in A flat.
10:27 The most epic phrase with combination of 2 motifs and chromatically descending melody.
10:44 Theme 2.a in B major, and then moves to G, E flat, C, and finally B flat + D with bitonality.
11:29 Modified motif 2 as a transition.
11:36 Theme 1 in D minor repeated, but with accompany in A major creating a peculiar effect.
12:10 Section closed by motif 1.

RECAPITULATION
12:28 Theme 2 in D, with slightly different chord progression and in bright color.
13:01 Motif 2 in A major with ascending bass line as a transition to the next climax.
13:13 Theme 2 in D again, but this time is played magnificently.
13:34 Variation of theme 2.b' in D with descending bass line.
13:40 Motif 1 with tremolo diminished chord as a bridge connecting 2 sections.

CODA
14:00 Theme 3.a in D, but syncopated, moves up until in A flat major.
14:19 Theme 3.b in D but in a sense of triplet swing, also syncopated.
14:33 Motif 1 as a bridge connecting the final passage.
14:38 Cadenza-like coda with chromatic motif 2 in D. (This part only appears in S.158)
14:50 Theme 1 in D, again embellished with lots of flat sixth (B flat).
15:02 With rhythmic structure of motif 1, whole-tone chords descend down to F sharp major.
15:12 A vi-IV-ii-I cadence with consonant motif 1 in D major as finale.